Policy Analysis

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is considering a number of organizational changes that together could constitute the most far-reaching restructuring of the IDF since the establishment of the state. Although some of the proposed changes -- such as the creation of a strategic forces command -- are likely to enhance

The United States devotes considerable effort -- more than $5 billion a year in aid, as well as many hours urging senior Arab and European officials to attend high-level meetings -- to promoting the twin goals of economic prosperity and economic cooperation among states and peoples in the Levant. U.S

Tomorrow's municipal elections, the first ever in Iran, have been the occasion for the latest round in the infighting between Iranian hardliners and moderates. That infighting has gotten progressively worse since President Muhammad Khatami took office in August 1997, and it has stymied progress on pressing economic problems and on

The arrest of Abdullah Ocalan is a U.S. victory in the global war against terrorism; for elated Turks, it is the equivalent of Israel's 1976 Entebbe rescue operation or the United Kingdom's 1982 Falklands victory -- a thrilling national triumph after a long period of frustration. Now, having supplied crucial

Spurred by comments made by Crown Prince Abdullah during his October visit to the United States, U.S. oil firms have high hopes that they may be able to become more active in Saudi Arabia. Last week, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson visited the kingdom to discuss the issue, with mixed

Traditionally, civil-military relations in Israel have been characterized by a very high degree of synchronization, manifesting itself at the elite level in a civil-military partnership and at the popular level in a designation of Israel as a "nation in arms" and of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a "people's

The most elaborate argument that political Islam is dead first came from Olivier Roy in 1992 in his book later translated as The Failure of Political Islam. Roy argues Islamism is political activism that aims to achieve political power. He claims Islamism has been eclipsed by neofundamentalism, which is the

"However much one may admire the courage of this lonely young king," wrote former British minister Anthony Nutting, "it is difficult to avoid the conclusion his days are numbered." Those words appeared in the New York Herald Tribune on July 31, 1958. Yesterday, more than 40 years later, Jordan's King

On February 8, 1999, the citizens of Syria will go to the polls to approve Syrian president Hafiz al-Asad's candidacy for a fifth seven-year term of office as president. The previous four terms of office -- twenty-eight years of rule since he was elected president in February 1971, after a

Why change the succession from King Hussein's brother, Hassan, to his eldest son, Abdullah? The principal reason for the change appears to have been paternal loyalty taking precedence over fraternal loyalty. Rationales based on real policy differences between Hussein and Hassan should largely be discounted; if anything, the two were

Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat arrived in Washington today, and if it were not for the National Prayer Breakfast brouhaha, most of the city would hardly have noticed. Although much is going on in the Middle East, from the Jordanian succession drama to the Israeli election campaign, perhaps the most intriguing

A survey of official Middle East government presence on the internet. The author describes how various governments have sought to keep up with expanding internet use while dealing with unique technical, economic, linguistic, and political obstacles to widespread access among their own citizenry. Includes tables and web links to several

Seemingly on the verge of hostilities with Turkey in mid-October 1998, President Hafez Assad of Syria did what almost nobody expected. He backed down, and quickly. Assad pledged to meet most -- though not all -- Turkish demands that he end support for the Turkish-Kurdish separatist group known as the

Today, Jordan's King Hussein formally decreed that his eldest son, Abdullah, would become crown prince in place of the king's brother, Hassan. Following is a brief biographical sketch of Abdullah. Born: Amman, January 30, 1962 Mother: King Hussein's second wife, Princess Muna al-Hussein (Toni Avril Gardiner) Personal status: Married to

King Hussein's return to Amman, after six months of medical treatment in the United States, has produced not only jubilation among Jordanians at the monarch's apparent recovery but also intense speculation about impending changes in the Hashemite line of succession. At this sensitive moment -- with economic perils at home

U.S. View: Iranian Moderation? "In past years, Iran's opposition to the Middle East peace process and to those willing to negotiate with Israel has been vitriolic and violent. The Islamic Republic still refuses to recognize Israel, and its leaders continue to denounce Israel in inflammatory and unacceptable terms. But last

In the last two weeks, France, the United States, and Saudi Arabia have all proposed changes in UN restrictions on Iraq. While all would have the effect of cutting Saddam some slack, intriguingly, the Saudi plan is about as good as the American. The French Proposal. The French proposal is

With media attention focused on the fractious nature of Israeli politics in advance of Israel's May elections, little attention is paid to the fractious nature of Palestinians politics, which could also witness a governmental overhaul in May. Whether or not the fateful date of May 4 passes with a Palestinian

Twenty years after his last stint as prime minister, 73-year-old Bulent Ecevit once again became Turkey's prime minister yesterday. His minority government is unlikely to accomplish much, other than to take the nation to early (but long planned) elections scheduled for April 18. Given traditional difficulties in government formation --